Preparation

Opening response

Prayer of thanksgiving

Blessed are you, Lord God of our salvation,to you be praise and glory forever.As once you ransomed your people from Egyptand led them to freedom in the promised land,so now you have delivered us from the dominion of darknessand brought us into the kingdom of your risen Son.May we, the first fruits of your new creation,rejoice in this new day you have made,and praise you for your mighty acts.Blessed be God: Father, Son and Holy Spirit.Blessed be God forever.

The night has passed, and the day lies open before us;let us pray with one heart and mind.

Silence is kept.

As we rejoice in the gift of this new day,so may the light of your presence, O God,set our hearts on fire with love for you;now and forever.Amen.

Hymn

Spirit of Faith, Come Down

Charles Wesley

Spirit of faith, come down, reveal the things of God, and make to us the Godhead known, and witness with the blood. 'Tis thine the blood to applyand give us eyes to see, who did for every sinner diehath surely died for me.

No one can truly saythat Jesus is the Lord, unless thou take the veil awayand breathe the living Word. Then, only then, we feelour interest in his blood, and cry with joy unspeakable, "Thou art my Lord, my God!"

O that the world might knowthe all atoning Lamb! Spirit of faith, descend and showthe virtue of his name; the grace which all may find, the saving power, impart, and testify to humankind, and speak in every heart.

Inspire the living faith(which whosoever receive, the witness in themselves they haveand consciously believe), the faith that conquers all, and doth the mountain move, and saves whoever on Jesus call, and perfects them in love.

Confession of sin

Seek the Lord when he can still be found;call him while he is yet near.Let the wicked abandon their waysand the sinful their schemes.Let them return to the Lord so that he may have mercy on them,to our God, because he is generous with forgiveness.

cf Isaiah 55

A time of silence and self-examination may be kept.

Lord God,we have sinned against you;we have committed evil in your sight.We are sorry and repent.Have mercy on us according to your faithful love.Wash us completely clean of our guilt; purify us from our sin.Put a new, faithful spirit deep inside us,and return the joy of your salvation to usthrough Jesus Christ our Lord.Amen.

cf Psalm 51

May the Father of all merciescleanse us from our sins,and restore us in his imageto the praise and glory of his name,through Jesus Christ our Lord.Amen.

Bless the Lord,because he has listened to our request for mercy.Therefore our hearts will rejoiceand we will thank him with our song.

cf Psalm 28:7,9

The Word of God

Psalm 16

Refrain: You, Lord, are my portion, my cup; you control my destiny.

Protect me, God, because I take refuge in you.I say to the Lord, “You are my Lord. Apart from you, I have nothing good.”Now as for the “holy ones” in the land, the “magnificent ones” that I was so happy about; let their suffering increase because they hurried after a different god.I won’t participate in their blood offerings; I won’t let their names cross my lips.You, Lord, are my portion, my cup; you control my destiny.The property lines have fallen beautifully for me; yes, I have a lovely home.I will bless the Lord who advises me; even at night I am instructed in the depths of my mind.I always put the Lord in front of me; I will not stumble because he is on my right side.That’s why my heart celebrates and my mood is joyous; yes, my whole body will rest in safety because you won’t abandon my life to the grave; you won’t let your faithful follower see the pit.You teach me the way of life. In your presence is total celebration.Beautiful things are always in your right hand.

Glory to the Father and to the Sonand to the Holy Spirit;as it was in the beginning is nowand will be forever. Amen.

Refrain: You, Lord, are my portion, my cup; you control my destiny.

Psalm prayer

Give to us, Lord Christ,the fullness of grace,your presence and your very self,for you are our portion and our delight,now and forever.

Psalm 147:1-11

Refrain: Our Lord is great and so strong!

Praise the Lord! Because it is good to sing praise to our God! Because it is a pleasure to make beautiful praise!The Lord rebuilds Jerusalem, gathering up Israel’s exiles.God heals the brokenhearted and bandages their wounds.God counts the stars by number, giving each one a name.Our Lord is great and so strong! God’s knowledge can’t be grasped!The Lord helps the poor, but throws the wicked down on the dirt!Sing to the Lord with thanks; sing praises to our God with a lyre!God covers the skies with clouds; God makes rain for the earth;God makes the mountains sprout green grass. God gives food to the animals— even to the baby ravens when they cry out.God doesn’t prize the strength of a horse; God doesn’t treasure the legs of a runner.No. The Lord treasures the peoplewho honor him, the people who wait for his faithful love.

Glory to the Father and to the Sonand to the Holy Spirit;as it was in the beginning is nowand will be forever. Amen.

Refrain: Our Lord is great and so strong!

Psalm prayer

Compassionate God,as you know each star you have created,so you know the secrets of every heart;in your loving mercy bring to your tableall who are fearful and broken,all who are wounded and needy,that our hungers may be satisfiedin the city of your peace;through Christ who is our peace.

Old Testament reading1 Samuel 2:27-35

Now a man of God came to Eli and said, “This is what the Lord says: I revealed myself very clearly to your father’s household when they were slaves in Egypt to the house of Pharaoh. I chose your father from all of Israel’s tribes to be my priest, to go up onto my altar, to burn incense, and to wear the priestly vest in my presence. I also gave all of the Israelites’ food offerings to your father’s household. Why then do you kick my sacrifices and my offerings—the very ones I commanded for my dwelling place? Why do you respect your sons more than me, getting fat off the best parts of every offering from my people Israel? Because of all that, this is what the Lord, the God of Israel, declares: I had promised that your household and your father’s household would serve me forever. But now—this is what the Lord declares: I’ll do no such thing! No. I honor those who honor me, and whoever despises me will be cursed. The days are coming soon when I will eliminate both your children and the children of your father’s household. There won’t be an old person left in your family tree. You’ll see trouble in my dwelling place, though all will go well for Israel. But there will never be an old person in your family tree. One of your descendants whom I don’t eliminate from serving at my altar will cry his eyes out and be full of grief. Any descendants in your household will die by the sword. And what happens to your two sons Hophni and Phinehas will be a sign for you: they will both die on the same day. Then I will establish for myself a trustworthy priest who will act in accordance with my thoughts and desires. I will build a trustworthy household for him, and he will serve before my anointed one forever.

Silence may be kept.

New Testament readingActs 2:37-47

When the crowd heard this, they were deeply troubled. They said to Peter and the other apostles, “Brothers, what should we do?”

Peter replied, “Change your hearts and lives. Each of you must be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. Then you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. This promise is for you, your children, and for all who are far away—as many as the Lord our God invites.” With many other words he testified to them and encouraged them, saying, “Be saved from this perverse generation.” Those who accepted Peter’s message were baptized. God brought about three thousand people into the community on that day.

The believers devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching, to the community, to their shared meals, and to their prayers. A sense of awe came over everyone. God performed many wonders and signs through the apostles. All the believers were united and shared everything. They would sell pieces of property and possessions and distribute the proceeds to everyone who needed them. Every day, they met together in the temple and ate in their homes. They shared food with gladness and simplicity. They praised God and demonstrated God’s goodness to everyone. The Lord added daily to the community those who were being saved.

Silence may be kept.

Gospel canticleThe Benedictus (The Song of Zechariah)

Refrain: The Lord is risen from the tomb who for our sakes hung upon the tree. Alleluia.

Bless the Lord God of Israelbecause he has come to help and has delivered his people.He has raised up a mighty savior for us in his servant David’s house,just as he said through the mouths of his holy prophets long ago.He has brought salvation from our enemiesand from the power of all those who hate us.He has shown the mercy promised to our ancestors,and remembered his holy covenant,the solemn pledge he made to our ancestor Abraham.He has granted that we would be rescuedfrom the power of our enemiesso that we could serve him without fear,in holiness and righteousness in God’s eyes,for as long as we live.You, child, will be called a prophet of the Most High,for you will go before the Lord to prepare his way.You will tell his people how to be savedthrough the forgiveness of their sins.Because of our God’s deep compassion,the dawn from heaven will break upon us,to give light to those who are sitting in darknessand in the shadow of death,to guide us on the path of peace.”

Luke 1:68-79

Glory to the Father and to the Sonand to the Holy Spirit;as it was in the beginning is nowand will be forever. Amen.

Refrain: The Lord is risen from the tomb who for our sakes hung upon the tree. Alleluia.

Brief silence.

The Apostle’s Creed

Let us unite in this historic confession of the Christian faith:

I believe in God, the Father Almighty,creator of heaven and earth.

I believe in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord,who was conceived by the Holy Spirit,born of the Virgin Mary,suffered under Pontius Pilate,was crucified, died, and was buried;he descended to the dead.On the third day he rose again;he ascended into heaven,is seated at the right hand of the Father,and will come again to judge the living and the dead.

I believe in the Holy Spirit,the holy catholic church,the communion of saints,the forgiveness of sins,the resurrection of the body,and the life everlasting. Amen.

Prayers

Intercession and thanksgiving

Prayers may be offered for:

the day and its tasksthe world and its needsthe church and her life

Prayers may include the following concerns:

The people of God, that they may proclaim the risen LordGod’s creation, that the peoples of the earth may meet their responsibility to careThose in despair and darkness, that they may find the hope and light of ChristThose in fear of death, that they may find faith through the resurrectionPrisoners and captives

Other intercessions and supplications may be offered as the Holy Spirit leads.

Response

Father, hear our prayer,through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Silence may be kept.

Collect of the day

Almighty God,who through your only begotten Son Jesus Christhave overcome death and opened to us the gate of everlasting life:grant that, as by your grace going before us you put into our minds good desires,so by your continual helpwe may bring them to good effect;through Jesus Christ our risen Lord,who is alive and reigns with you,in the unity of the Holy Spirit,one God, now and forever.Amen.

The Lord’s Prayer

Rejoicing in God’s new creation, as our Savior taught us, so we pray

Our Father in heaven,hallowed be your name,your kingdom come,your will be done,on earth as in heaven.Give us today our daily bread.Forgive us our sinsas we forgive those who sin against us.Lead us not into temptationbut deliver us from evil.For the kingdom, the power,and the glory are yoursnow and forever.Amen.